It started out great. It ended up being a complete and total disaster.
Bill Belichick’s first game as a college football coach resulted in an embarrassing blowout loss for North Carolina, at home to TCU.
Final score: 48-14.
Based on the first drive, the relentless ESPN pregame hype seemed to be justified. The Tar Heels went 83 yards in seven plays to take a 7-0 lead. But the Horned Frogs, who experienced two years ago the challenges of facing a high-profile coach in his first game with a big-time program (Deion Sanders at Colorado), settled down and systematically dismantled UNC.
For the balance of the first half, it felt like a slow smothering, with TCU up 20-7. It was far from over. Then, to start the third quarter, TCU running back Kevorian Barnes went 75 yards for a touchdown, and that was that.
North Carolina had a slim glimmer of hope, late in the third quarter, when quarterback Max Johnson entered the game. He led the Tar Heels on a touchdown drive that cut the score to 41-14.
But UNC couldn’t build momentum. TCU scored again, and it was just a matter of running out the clock and getting out of town.
While it’s too early for UNC supporters to want to get Belichick out of town, it was a very bad debut. The 48 points surrendered by North Carolina were the most ever given up by a Belichick-coached team. And they now have to get ready for a Saturday night game at Charlotte.
They should easily win their next one, and the one after that (against Richmond). Still, the team that showed up tonight (if it’s fair to say they even showed up) doesn’t seem to be nearly good enough.
That’s on Belichick — and G.M. Mike Lombardi. They turned the roster over, bringing in 70 new players. For the first game, those players weren’t nearly good enough.